Palestinians hold municipal elections amid rising anger with Mahmoud Abbas
December 11, 2021, 11:19 am

Mahmoud Abbas

The National World News reported according to the Voice of America, Palestinians held municipal elections on Saturday in a sprawling democratic exercise in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and amid growing anger after President Mahmoud Abbas canceled a planned legislative and presidential election earlier this year.

More than 400,000 Palestinians were eligible to vote in the 154 West Coast Village Councils, where Abbas’s Palestinian Authority restricted self-government.

Municipal voting is usually held every four or five years.

Municipal elections are not being held in Gaza, where Hamas Islamic rulers are boycotting the vote due to disagreements with Abbas’s Fatah party. The 86-year-old president has postponed a municipal vote that could be seen as a referendum on the Abbas administration in major West Bank cities such as Ramallah.

Palestine-al-Quds/Pixabay

“These elections cannot be an alternative to legislative elections,” said Ahmad Issa, 23, in front of a polling station in the West Bank village of Bir Nabala, adding that a legislative vote could offer a “horizon for the youth” and lead to reforms.

In the village of Beth Kahil, women and men lined up in front of the polling station, some in face masks to protect themselves from COVID-19. Once inside, they put ballot papers in envelopes, tossed them in ballot boxes, and dipped their fingers in ink as they exited to prevent people from voting twice.

Abbas, whose support in public opinion polls has declined, said in April that Israel had restricted Palestinian voting in East Jerusalem and canceled the planned legislative and presidential elections in the summer, sparking widespread outrage.

Abbas’s opponents, including Hamas, have accused him of using the Jerusalem voting dispute as an excuse to cancel elections.

Abbas, who has ruled by decree for more than a decade, denies this.

A Hamas spokesman who boycotted previous municipal elections in 2012 and 2017 said the group would “refuse to run in the Fatah-adapted and partial elections held by the Palestinian Authority” and called on Abbas to reschedule the canceled summer elections.

After an 11-day war with Israel in May, Hamas gained popularity in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

The group has won student council elections at several leading West Coast universities this year, an important barometer of support.

The Palestinians are seeking statehood in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, which were occupied by Israel in the 1967 war. Israel annexed the internationally unrecognized East Jerusalem, and peace talks between the two sides broke down in 2014.

Hamas won the last Palestinian parliamentary election in 2006. This victory paved the way for a political rift.

Hamas captured Gaza in 2007 after a brief civil war with Fatah and has ruled the coastal enclave ever since.

Source: nationalworldnews

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the company’s headquarters in the Seef District.
During the meeting, shareholders approved all items listed on the agenda, including the ratification of the minutes of the previous AGM held on 26 March 2024. The session reviewed and approved the Board’s Annual Report on the company’s activities and financial performance for the fiscal year ended 31 December 2024, and the shareholders expressed their satisfaction with the company’s operational and financial results during the reporting period.
The meeting also reviewed the Independent External Auditor’s Report on the company’s consolidated financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024. Subsequently, the shareholders approved the audited financial statements for the fiscal year. Based on the Board’s recommendation, the shareholders approved the distribution of a cash dividend equivalent to 10% of the paid-up share capital.
Furthermore, the shareholders endorsed the allocation of a total amount of BD 172,500 as remuneration to the members of the Board for the year ended 31 December 2024, subject to prior clearance by related authorities.
The extension of the current composition of the Board was approved, which includes ten members and one CBB observer, for a further six-month term, expiring in September 2025, pending no objection from the CBB.
The meeting reviewed and approved the Corporate Governance Report for 2024, which affirmed the company’s full compliance with the corporate governance directives issued by the CBB and other applicable regulatory frameworks. The AGM absolved the Board Members of liability for any of their actions during the year ending on 31st December 2024, in accordance with the Commercial Companies Law.
In alignment with regulatory requirements, the session approved the reappointment of Ernst & Young (EY) as the company’s External Auditors for the fiscal year 2025, covering both the parent company and its subsidiaries—Sinnad and Bahrain FinTech Bay. The Board was authorised to determine the external auditors’ professional fees, subject to approval from the CBB, and the meeting concluded with a discussion of any additional issues as per Article (207) of the Commercial Companies Law.
Speaking on the company’s performance, Mr. Mohamed Al Bastaki, Chairman BENEFIT , stated: “In terms of the financial results for 2024, I am pleased to say that the year gone by has also been proved to be a success in delivering tangible results. Growth rate for 2024 was 19 per cent. Revenue for the year was BD 17 M (US$ 45.3 Million) and net profit was 2 Million ($ 5.3 Million).

Mr. Al Bastaki also announced that the Board had formally adopted a new three-year strategic roadmap to commence in 2025. The strategy encompasses a phased international expansion, optimisation of internal operations, enhanced revenue diversification, long-term sustainability initiatives, and the advancement of innovation and digital transformation initiatives across all service lines.
“I extend my sincere appreciation to the CBB for its continued support of BENEFIT and its pivotal role in fostering a stable and progressive regulatory environment for the Kingdom’s banking and financial sector—an environment that has significantly reinforced Bahrain’s standing as a leading financial hub in the region,” said Mr. Al Bastaki. “I would also like to thank our partner banks and valued customers for their trust, and our shareholders for their ongoing encouragement. The achievements of 2024 set a strong precedent, and I am confident they will serve as a foundation for yet another successful and impactful year ahead.”
Chief Executive of BENEFIT; Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi commented, “The year 2024 represented another pivotal chapter in BENEFIT ’s evolution. We achieved substantial progress in advancing our digital strategy across multiple sectors, while reinforcing our long-term commitment to the development of Bahrain’s financial services and payments landscape. Throughout the year, we remained firmly aligned with our objective of delivering measurable value to our shareholders, strategic partners, and customers. At the same time, we continued to play an active role in enabling Bahrain’s digital economy by introducing innovative solutions and service enhancements that directly address market needs and future opportunities.”
Mr. AlJanahi affirmed that BENEFIT has successfully developed a robust and well-integrated payment network that connects individuals and businesses across Bahrain, accelerating the adoption of emerging technologies in the banking and financial services sector and reinforcing Bahrain’s position as a growing fintech hub, and added, “Our achievements of the past year reflect a long-term vision to establish a resilient electronic payment infrastructure that supports the Kingdom’s digital economy. Key developments in 2024 included the implementation of central authentication for open banking via BENEFIT Pay”
Mr. AlJanahi concluded by thanking the Board for its strategic direction, the company’s staff for their continued dedication, and the Central Bank of Bahrain, member banks, and shareholders for their valuable partnership and confidence in the company’s long-term vision.